Obaseki Launches N1bn Operation Feed the Hungry In Edo

As part of the efforts to cushion the impacts of current economic crunch on the people, the Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has officially launched “Operation Feed the Hungry Initiative” in the state with the sum of N1 billion.

Governor Obaseki also noted that the present hunger and economic woes ravaging the country is self-inflicted.

He added that when he first raised the alarm of an imminent economic danger in the country, some people assumed he was merely playing the opposition politics.

Launching the initiative on Friday, Obaseki disclosed that the first phase of the programme will capture over 60,000 residents through the five blocs that made up of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Muslim communities in the state.

The launching took place at St. Paul’s Pastoral Centre and Government House, Benin City, where the governor met with the CAN leadership and the League of Muslim Imams, respectively.

Obaseki said, “I know that when people are distressed, very few of them will be able to cross the gate of the Government House to see me, but almost all of them will, as I have seen, go to the various parishes to meet you to see that you assist them; and I am sure that in the last few years of extreme economic hardship, the burden of the church has increased, that is why we want to use the religious bodies for this initiative,” Obaseki said.

Continuing, he said, “And for me, it is more than that, you know my position on the Nigerian economic situation. When we first raised the alarm a few years ago, some people thought we were joking, but it didn’t stop us from getting to where we are. We cannot sit down to lament and complain over the situation we have found ourselves.

“As government, we have to think of how to respond to the situation we found ourselves and rather than ask you to come, I rather decided to come out to meet you, the men of God to begin this process or an attempt to begin,” the governor said.

He added that the initiative will be driven by CAN with funds provided by the government and will be monitored to ensure that the intended goals for the initiative were met.

The Governor disclosed that N1 billion would be placed in a dedicated account by the state government for the pilot phase from where the programmes will be carried out by the clerics.

“We are going to use this structure you are putting in place to try to reach as many as would be possible, and let them know the economic opportunities that this government is making available, particularly in the areas of agriculture. And when we get this programme settled in the next few weeks, we will reach out to you to make the people know the inputs that we can give them, assurance that we will buy all their produce, particularly the ones with protein,” the governor said.

Earlier, the Archbishop of Benin Catholic Church Diocese, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr Augustine Obiora Akubeze, thanked the governor for nursing the plan of assisting the poor and hungry in order to cushion the effects of the biting economic situation suffering by Nigerians, mostly the Edo people.

In the same vein, Chairman of CAN in the state, Apostle (Dr) Irekpono Omoike, commended Governor Obaseki on the initiative as he added that the Christian blocs in the state will justify the confidence reposed in them by making sure that the targeted persons are those to really benefit.

Similarly, the Chief Imam of Benin Central Mosque, Mallam Abdulfatai Enabulele who led other Imams to the meeting, commended the governor for the initiative, and pledged their support to make it work.